Day one – Sunday, April 11, 2010

So I got up early this morning. Well, ten o’clock, which, for a Sunday, is early. With the sun absolutely beating down outside, I felt that to stay longer in bed would appear ungrateful! Day one of the training program decreed that today I would be cycling. Influenced by both the weather and an unfortunate desire to see how hard it is to actually cycle up the famed ‘Howth Head’ as I set out I pointed my bike in the direction of the coast of north county Dublin. Having had a major crash smack in the middle of the village a while back I can’t say that I was looking forward to facing the stretch of road outside the Findlater again. But being emboldened by, well, actually nothing, I managed to steel myself through it. Of course, the road is now smoothly surfaced, bit late for that lads, though I like to think I influenced the decision of the council on this!!

Now, it being the first time I had really taken on the hill, I feel I may have done it backwards. I reached this conclusion as I careered headlong down the hill after summiting and passing roughly 27 times as many cyclists on the way down as I encountered on the way up. Think I’ll be doing it the ‘correct’ way round the next time. I crawled, sinews strained and calves burning, up what seemed like a sheer cliff. I know it cannot have been that bad but while I was going through it, I can assure you it was worse!

But when I reached the top, well, it was all worth it. I can safely say it was the view of the year so far, and it continued to be stunning all the way down my descent. This I feel may have been slightly dangerous however. So enraptured was I by the view at various times, I completely forgot that I was actually moving down a hill at speeds of over 40km an hour and on more than one occasion I nearly became closely acquainted with the tarmac.

Part two of the cycle was much less glamorous. As I came back in to Sutton Village, I hung a right and headed in the general direction of the airport. The picturesque countryside of Howth and its surroundings quickly gave way to the industrial landscape of the airport. I suppose you can’t have it all good, all the time!

Run tomorrow… Let the hard yards begin!!